Donald Trump was done negotiating.
For weeks he assembled an armada of carriers and destroyers in the waters of the Middle East, bolstered by fleets of F-35 and F-22 jets dispatched to allied bases around the region. It was the largest U.S. buildup since the 2003 Iraq war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Trump¡¯s goal was to pressure Iran¡¯s rulers to do what they have resisted for decades: give up their nuclear and long-range missile programs and stop supporting its armed proxies. He said he preferred a diplomatic solution with Tehran, but the buildup continued.
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